cool for the summer
by i-am-your-opus
Summary: It's been three years since Korra left for college. Three long years since she's talked to her friends. Now, she's coming home for the summer just in time for a road trip with the old gang. Korrasami beach-house AU slow burn. Mentions of past Korra/Kuvira. Might be mentions of Mako/Wu. Cross-posted from AO3.
1. chapter one

A/N: Cross-posting this from AO3 because it's gotten a decent response there! I haven't used in a while, so I'm sorry if anything is mislabeled. If you want to follow me on tumblr, I'm ai-ge-smak-daun dot tumblr dot com. :)

* * *

Sleeping during car rides has never been a problem for Korra. As a matter of fact, falling asleep just about anywhere has never been a problem for Korra. More than once she's ended up curled up in Mako's bathtub after partying a little too hard or drinking a little too much. She always awoke well-rested and ready to face her day, unlike her hungover friends.

Now, she shifts in her seat uncomfortably, wishing she'd spent more time practicing staying awake on long trips. She's fallen asleep twice now on the four hour bus-ride, and each time had startled herself awake, afraid that she had missed her stop or someone had stolen her things.

This time, she wakes to a tapping on her shoulder.

"Hello. Miss?"

Her eyes fly open, and she tries not to jump at the sight of a man in a vest and cap in front of her. Still, her hands jump up to her chest and she gasps.

He takes her in for a moment, and his eyes turning sympathetic after he finishes sizing her up.

Great, she thinks, I must look pathetic.

"Sorry, kid. Last stop."

"Right," she says stiffly.

He walks back to the driver's seat and plops down. Everyone else has already gotten off the bus, she notes, and she can't help but wonder how long she was asleep. She stretches as she stands, joints popping as she reaches for her suitcase in the overhead compartment and giving it a hard tug.

Her luggage is heavier than she's expecting, and it hits the top of her head with a loud thud. She thinks she hears a hint of a laugh from the front of the bus, and avoids the drivers eyes as she drags her suitcase down the aisle and the stairs. She's embarrassed herself enough already.

She gets off the bus and glances around, trying her best to look alert despite her sleepiness. Her father taught her one of the keys to traveling safely was never to let herself look vulnerable.

She's happy to see there aren't many people at the terminal. An old man who seems to have fallen asleep reading a newspaper sits to her right on a bench. He has a bag of luggage at his feet. Two young women stand together against the back wall, looking at the bus schedule and talking angrily under their breath as they trace their fingers across the map.

Korra's glad she memorized her route before she left. She hasn't made the trip to her old town in... well, never actually.

She swallows thickly at the thought. She hasn't been to Republic City in years, and she's afraid nothing will be the same. She's not even sure what she'll do when she gets there. Her friends probably don't want anything to do with her at this point, and she can't blame them.

Three years without contact is a long time.

She sits on a bench along the back wall and hangs her head.

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place, her father's voice echoes in her head.

She tries to ignore the stinging in her eyes at the thought of her parents, and the twinge of betrayal that snags in her chest along with it. Yeah, she hasn't bothered to visit them in years, so she really can't blame them for not thinking of her whereabouts this summer... Even so, they Skype frequently and she would have at least liked to have heard about their big trip cross-country, if not invited to tag along.

It wasn't until she called her father in tears after having the door slammed in her face did she find out that there wouldn't be a home to return to. It hadn't been a proud moment for her. Sniveling to her parents on the walk home after a break-up, only to be immediately rejected once again. She remembers asking if she could at least come stay at her childhood home while they were away.

"Honey, I'm sorry, we've already rented the house out on AirBNB."

She managed to regain her composure enough to convince her parents to hang up the phone before she lost herself again. She found her way back to her dorm room, the one she'd barely entered since the beginning of the year, and bought her bus tickets.

She had only one option left.

Republic City, here I come.

Her phone buzzes, pulling her out of her thoughts, and she frowns. Who would be calling this time of night?

She picks up her phone and her lock screen stares back at her. It's one of those gross coupley photos that she personally would've never set herself, but once it was done she couldn't figure out how to undo it. She was never good with technology. The picture is from not too long ago, maybe a month at most, even though it now seems impossibly far away. From another lifetime, even.

I really need to figure out how to change that, she thinks before focusing on the task at hand. Her phone is still ringing. She studies the number.

It's an unknown caller with a familiar area code: Republic City. Her thumb hovers over the decline button, but something stops her. Maybe it's the nostalgia of returning home after three long years, but before she knows it the phone is rising to her ear.

"Korra?" the voice on the other end of the line asks.

She almost drops the phone.

/

Packing has never been Bolin's strong suit.

Even so, he's too proud to ask for help. He doesn't want to hear Mako's "I told you so's" that he's sure he'd have to endure if he admits to his brother he needs a hand getting ready for their trip.

Mako urged him to start packing at the beginning of the week. As with nearly everything else, Mako had an idea of how proper packing should be done: in a timely and efficient manner. He'd explained his methods to his brother several times, even though he knew it was falling on deaf ears.

Every time he used something in the morning, Mako told him to put it in his suitcase after. That way, everything he used to get ready would be in his suitcase by the time he had to leave, and no necessities would be left behind.

It was a great idea, really, and Bolin did listen the first few times he told him about it, but... he had a habit of waking up just a little too late to be able to pack in the mornings and make it to work on time and one thing lead to another and...

It's the night before they leave, his suitcase is still empty, and he only has less than twenty-four hours until they're leaving for a month-long trip.

He sighs.

Packing is exhausting, he thinks as he flops back on his bed. God knows I can't ask Mako to help. Who else is there?

Bolin grabs his phone, frowning when he sees he has no new messages. He scrolls through his contacts, searching for someone that would understand his dilemma.

He skips right past the first name in his phone. He's seen how Asami packs- she brought over all her luggage the night before, one bag piled high after another.

No thank you, he thinks. And obviously Mako is out of the question.

He gets to the K's and stops.

Bolin frowns. Korra. He hasn't talked to her in so long, but he's sure that if anyone were to understand his situation, it would be his old friend. They'd always shared a similar temperament that annoyed the hell out of Mako but allowed them to become fast friends when they were children.

Man, I haven't heard from her in ages, he thinks, biting his lip uncertainly.

He dials before he has time to change his mind. He counts the rings, waiting for the fourth followed by a tell-tale click to voicemail.

Just wishful thinking, he thinks, and just a moment later the ringing cuts off. There's a moment of silence, and he realizes after a few seconds without Korra's voicemail message starting - there's someone on the other end.

"Korra?"

"Uh, Bolin?" comes the reply, and he grins in spite of himself at the unmistakable sound of Korra's voice on the other end of the line.

"I can't believe you picked up!" he exclaims without thinking. He hears a sound through the speaker that could be just a breeze, or it could be Korra letting out a dejected laugh.

Judging by the long beat that follows, he figures its the latter.

"But never mind that," Bolin breaks the silence after a moment. He hasn't spoken to one of his oldest friends in - god, it must have been years now. There'll be more time to talk about the nitty gritty of why she disappeared off the face of the planet later. "How are you? Where are you?!"

This time her laugh is more genuine. He grins.

"Currently at a bus stop, but I have a feeling you're asking in a more general sense," she says, her tone light. He laughs in response, but doesn't probe further. He's known Korra his whole life, and even if they haven't been close in a while he can tell when she doesn't want to be pressed.

"A bus stop? Are you coming home?" he asks instead.

Mako will be so happy, he thinks. At least, I think he will.

They rarely talked about it, but neither he nor his brother had heard from Korra since she left for college three years ago. Not a visit home or even a letter.

"Should be there by 3 a.m.," Korra says. "I'm waiting to transfer busses now. I've already been going for hours," she says, and the tiredness that has seeped its way into her voice confirms it.

Bolin checks his watch. Three o'clock?

That's only a little more than three hours away!

"Where's your stop? Do you need a ride? I can drive now, I have a car and everything!" His words come out in a rush but he doesn't bother to stop them. He's always been excitable, especially when it comes to his friends.

"Whoa there, Bolin," she says, her tone teasing. "You sure you're old enough to be driving?"

He scoffs. "By a long shot. I turned 19 last month," he boasts.

Korra sighs on the other end of the line, not sure whether or not to address the elephant in the room. Bolin doesn't seem nearly as angry with her as she thought he had the right to be, but it still doesn't feel right to ignore the way she'd just left him and his brother behind when she went off to college.

"I know," she says after a moment. "Hey listen, I'm sorry I didn't send a card or anything. Things have been... weird here for me lately," she explains.

It's a weak excuse, but he lets it slide. "No worries."

Tears well up in her eyes in relief, and she brushes them away before they have a chance to fall. Bolin always had a big heart, but she's still touched he's willing to act like no time had passed, like she hadn't ruined everything.

She decides right then to make it up to him. "Anyway... now that you mention it, I will probably have a hard time catching a taxi at three in the morning."

"Yes!" he shouts, forgetting how late it is. He waits for the telltale loud bang on the wall from Mako telling him to keep it down, but none comes. He's sure to lower his voice when he speaks again. "Let me pick you up! We can go visit Mako and Asami first thing."

"Don't you think they'll be asleep?" she teases.

"Fine," he huffs. There's a moment of silence while he considers their options. "Oh, I know! We can stop at a diner first. I know one not too far from here that makes the meanest omelette with cream cheese and chives. And their bacon, Korra, my god."

Somehow she gets the feeling he's not really all that upset about this turn of events.

Bolin always was a fan of the bacon.

"Okay," she answers simply.

A shocked laugh barks at her from the other end of the line. "Wait- really? That easy?"

"Yes, really. I'll text you the address."

Bolin can't stop smiling even after they've hung up the phone. For a few minutes he sits there in stunned silence, wondering if he should go tell Mako about what just happened. His brother is an "early to bed, early to rise" kind of guy - he decides against it.

A celebratory snack will have to do.

He jumps out of bed, and makes it only a few steps before - "shit, ow!" - he stubs his toe on a the giant suitcase waiting empty at the foot of the bed. He collapses back onto his bed, clutching his foot and frowning at the sudden realization that he didn't even talk to Korra about packing.

He waits for his toe to stop throbbing before grudgingly grabbing a few shirts and beginning to fold them.

Not like I have much else to do for the next three hours, anyway.

/

Bolin punches in the address Korra texts him into his GPS, and is surprised when it leads him to a dark street with a small bus shelter on the south side. There's no one around, but the street is still not quite silent, with distant noises every few seconds that make him jolt in his seat uneasily.

Bolin parks across the street and locks his doors. He's glad he didn't let Korra get dropped off here on her own.

He doesn't have to wait long. Within minutes, the bus pulls up. He jumps out of his car, walking up just as the bus door opens. One by one, people straggle off, and one by one he's disappointed when each isn't his friend. Not one of them seems too thrilled with the whole early morning travel thing, and Bolin can't say he blames them. He'd downed two cups of coffee before he headed out to pick up Korra.

There aren't many people on the bus, he observes. Still, Korra seems to take her sweet time getting off, and after it's been almost a minute since the bus doors opened he worries that she ditched him, bailing at an earlier stop.

Then she appears in the door of the bus and he breaks out into a grin.

"Korra!" he shouts, rushing forward to meet her. He sweeps her up in his arms, resisting the urge to swing her around because, hey, they're in public and he's an adult. Still, he can't help but lift her off the ground with the force of his hug. She feels small to him now, and it's immediately apparent how much he's grown since they last saw each other. He was only sixteen, after all, a junior in high school.

"Bo," she says, her voice muffled into his chest, and he realizes that he's holding her a little too tightly. He drops her to the ground and she blinks for a moment before beaming up at him. "God, you've grown!"

"Naw," he says, hoping he won't blush. He's still not anywhere near as tall as Mako, even though he's grown to be much broader than his older brother.

She reaches up to tussle his hair and he laughs. "You look so different!"

"You're one to talk," he says. "Look at your hair!"

"Oh yeah," she reaches up sheepishly, feeling for the shoulder-length cut she'd adopted a few weeks ago. It took her a few days to get used to herself - she hadn't cut her hair since elementary school, but she just needed a change after her relationship went down the tube.

Right, she thinks, her smile faltering. The break up.

She feels the familiar heartbreak settling into her chest at the thought, and dammit she had been this close to forgetting about all this.

If Bolin notices the way she tenses, he pretends not to. He loops one arm through hers as he grabs her suitcase with the other. "C'mon, let's get your bags in my car,"

Bolin's two-door looks like an old clunker that he probably bought off Craigslist, but it suits him. The trunk won't close on its own and he has to tie it shut but he still beams at it proudly, and she can't help but smile in return when he announces her name is "Betty."

The ride to the diner is a short one. They spend most of it in silence after a few minutes of small talk about her trip.

Neither of them seem to know what to say next, so Korra contents herself watching the streetlights and signs pass as they drive into town as Bolin fiddles with the radio.

It's not long before she begins to recognize her surroundings. She didn't grow up here and never learned to drive, so she never knew the roads all that well. Even still, after all these years, it immediately feels familiar.

There's the ice cream parlor that Mako worked at the summer between our junior and senior year, she notes. The park we played a few scrimmage games of soccer at before school.

Even in the dark, Korra is fascinated by her old small town. She's almost disappointed when she hears Bolin's blinker clicking as they pull into a tiny, dimly lit parking lot

"We're here!" he announces, throwing the car into park.

The diner is small and boxy like an old train car, with stainless steel siding and a bright neon sign that flashes **OPEN 24/7** in big letters. Korra is a bit wary at the sight of it, but chooses to ignore her instincts when she sees how Bolin's eyes light up in the neon glow.

There isn't anyone else in the diner at this time of night, which isn't a big surprise. The waitress seats them near a window at Bolin's request.

"Your chive and cream cheese omelette please," he orders in his best posh accent. "Can I get wheat toast on the side? Oh, and a bit of jam?"

"Sure thing," the older woman says. She smiles at him with a familiarity that makes Korra think Bolin must come here often.

She jots down a few words on her pad before turning her attention to Korra. "And what about you, hun?"

"Can I have a black coffee and the short stack, please."

"Alright. And will that be sausage or bacon for your side?" she asks, and as soon as the words are out of her mouth Bolin nearly jumps from his booth.

"Oh, how could I forget! Can I also have an extra order of bacon?"

"Bacon for me, too," Korra adds. The waitress chuckles and shakes her head as she closes her pad.

"That'll be right out," she says, before leaving the two of them alone. It's silent for a second before Korra decides it's her turn to start the conversation.

"Thanks again for the ride, Bo," she says with a warm smile.

"Any time!" he says. After a moment his grin fades into something more serious. "To be honest, I was surprised you even picked up the phone."

She tries to brush it off, ignoring the guilt that filled her at his somber tone. "Oh please, I always have time for my little bro," she jokes, but he doesn't laugh. He looks away nervously, twiddling his thumbs in front of him on the table.

Oh no, here it comes, she thinks.

"Well, you have been kind of M.I.A. for a while," he says, shifting in his seat as Korra sinks into hers. She had hoped to avoid this conversation for a little longer. She thinks of changing the subject for a moment before deciding against it.

You owe it to him to be honest, she thinks.

"Yeah, I know. I just had a really hard time coming back to that house, after..." she trails off. It's hard for her to say the words out loud.

After what? Her aunt died? Asami left for California? She and Mako broke up? She doesn't know which to pick, so she just shrugs.

After everything , she thinks. Too many memories. She didn't think that town would ever feel right again with no Katara, no Asami and no Mako to fall back on. So she stayed away.

Until now, of course.

If Bolin was going to question her further, it's interrupted by the arrival of the waitress with their food. Their table goes silent for a few minutes as they both dig into their plates.

She watches him carefully, and doesn't have to wait long until he picks up the conversation again.

"You know, you could've stayed with any of us," he offers, even though the thought is far too late. "You still can - I mean, we only have the futon but you're always welcome to it, and Asami definitely has the extra space."

"Oh please, like you guys would want me moping around all summer, snoring in your living room. Besides, Hiroshi never liked me much anyway. I don't think the old bat wants me crashing at his place."

Bolin pales. "Oh... Korra, you haven't heard?"

Her fork stops mid-way to her mouth, and a thin line of syrup drops towards her plate. His tone makes her heart sink. "Heard- no, what?"

"Hiroshi died. Two weeks ago."

She puts the fork down, her face blank.

Bolin fidgets in his seat. "Yeah... sorry no one told you. He got sick a few months back. It was quick, but -"

"How's Asami doing ?" He almost doesn't hear the interruption it's so quiet. There's guilt in Korra's eyes as she stares up at him grimly, and he tries to tone down the feeling of satisfaction at the sight.

You'd know if you'd read her letters, he thinks, but bites his tongue. It's not his place, after all. He's not one to hold onto his anger, anyway. He'd much rather enjoy Korra now that she's here than spend their time together focusing on when she wasn't.

"She's uh... Well, you know her, she's tough. She's holding it together," he stumbles, but finishes strong with what he hopes is a convincing smile.

He doesn't want to worry Korra. Asami has seemed fine, after all, even if there's been something just off about his friend and the lack of grieving she went through when her father passed. The two hadn't been on good terms, sure, but Asami still loved her father.

"Holding it together?" Korra seems doubtful. "He was her only family... is she staying in that huge house all by herself?"

"Well no, actually- she's moved in with us. She and Mako..."

Now it was Korra's turn to pale. She didn't like the sound of that. "She and Mako what?"

"No no, it's nothing. It's just, you know, the long looks, the insane amount of time they spend together. They say they're just friends but a brother always knows, Korra," he says, tapping his forehead knowingly.

"Oh." She makes a noise somewhere between a cough and a choking sound. He waits while she takes a long drink from her coffee mug.

"Well, that's just great. I mean, for them. I'm so happy for them," she says, but her voice lacks all of Korra's usual eager sincerity.

"Yeah I mean, it's good to see him smile. He got pretty down when you and Asami both left for school. Speaking of... why'd you come back?"

"Oh, that," she waves her hand as she tries to laugh it off. "Yeah. I just, went through a pretty bad breakup. Lost most of my friends over it. My parents are on a trip and I didn't have anywhere to stay so... I came home."

"Oh," he says. She feels a little guilty at the disappointment on his face. He was hoping for something grander, that she had realized how much she missed all of her friends back home and how wrong she had been to cut them off.

"Well... it's his loss?" he offers, and she can't help the dark chuckle that escapes in response.

If only you knew how wrong you are, Bolin, she thinks.

"What about you?" she says, changing the subject. "Any big news?"

"Um..." he furrows his brow, trying to think of the most interesting thing in his life to share. "Oh! We're going on a trip tomorrow!"

"Oh really?" she asks, his excitement contagious.

He crunches down on a piece of bacon before continuing. "Yeah! Mako, Asami and I. Mako's been working for this rich family as a security guard. They have this son who is a total spoiled brat. Like, they bought him a beach house for his birthday, spoiled."

"Woah."

"Yeah, so Mako is going on the inaugural trip down and his bosses told him to invite a few friends since the brat doesn't have any of his own so he'll feel like it's a real party, you know? We're going to be gone for a whole month!"

The excitement is no longer contagious, and the smile drops off her face. Korra tries to hide her disappointment at the thought of the only three people she came back to see being gone for half the summer.

First her parents left, now her friends. This summer was not off to a good start.

"Oh," she says, and winces internally at the letdown evident in her voice. "That's going to be really cool. You guys will have a lot of fun!"

Bolin doesn't seem fooled, if his frown is any indication. He looks at her for a moment before breaking out into another grin. "Hey, wait I have a great idea! You have to come with us!"

She grimaces. A pity invite, just what I need.

"Oh, Bolin, I don't know..."

He's not deterred by her reluctance. "No no, it'll be great! You're super sad over your lost love, Asami needs a little space to clear her head and Mako can really use the vacation, the guy is like so stressed out. We'll all have a nice relaxing vay-cay at the beach house and when we come back everything will be normal and cool again!"

Korra doesn't look convinced.

He sighs. "C'mon, everyone you came home to see will be on the trip. Mako will be so happy to see you, and Asami could probably use a gal pal. You know, someone to talk to?" he says, his voice turning up with hope at the end.

It's a cheap shot, but he's betting it will work. Asami and Korra are still best friends, he reasons. Sure, they haven't talked in years, but even he could see how inseparable the two were in high school. He was only a freshman, and didn't get to spend much time with his brother's senior friends, but he rarely saw the one without the other.

He can practically see her resolve breaking as a small smile slips onto her face. "Well, let's see how the others feel, I guess."

"Yes!" he cheers, pumping a fist in the air. Korra can't help but laugh at this, and it feels suddenly as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," she says, picking up their check and heading towards the door.

"Nu-uh-uh, I got it," Bolin slips the piece of paper out of her hand before she has time to protest. "Think of it as payback for all the ice creams you bought me when I was a kid."

She doesn't put up an argument, and follows him to the exit.

"Reunited, and it feels so good," he sing-songs as they walk to the car.

"Bolin," she groans, but she can't help but smile. In a few hours, she was going to be back with her friends, and maybe, just maybe everything could go back to normal again.

It's only a few minutes later, when they turn onto the Bolin's road does her excitement begin to fade. Yes, Bolin was happy to have her back in his life, but what about the others? Surely they'd felt her absence as sorely as Bolin, if not worse. She and Mako had promised to stay friends after they broke up right before she left for college, but she hasn't spoken to him since. And Asami...

Poor Asami, she thinks, remembering Bolin's revelation at the diner. She's been so alone and I didn't even know.

She's happy to see the house is still dark when they pull up. Mako and Asami are both early risers, but five in the morning is pushing it, even for them.

"Ready?" Bolin asks, taking in Korra's expression as she stares wide-eyed at the house.

"Nothing has changed," she comments absentmindedly, before turning to Bolin. He doesn't respond, but offers her a tight-lipped smile.

"C'mon," he says, and opens his door. She follows suit.

Bolin opens the door without much fuss. He turns on a dim lamp near the door. "Home sweet home," he sighs, and Korra has to fight down tears for what feels like the millionth time that night.

He takes a few steps into the small apartment, not noticing that Korra is frozen in place in the doorway. "Um, so Asami is sleeping in my room right now," he says, gesturing to the door at the end of the hall. "I've been on the couch, but I can sleep with Mako for tonight. If you want you can just leave your stuff in the living room?"

Korra nods, shaking off her stupor. She doesn't need him to show her the way. Even dimly lit, the apartment still looks the same as always. She drops her suitcase next to the couch and turns to face Bolin just as he lets out a big yawn.

"Tired?" she asks, feeling slightly guilty. He shakes his head but the drowsiness in his eyes gives him away.

"Go to bed," she insists. "I'm just going to shower first, if you don't mind?"

"S'not a problem," he says. "Bathroom's... well, you know where it is," he points with a sleepy smile. "Night, Korra."

"Goodnight."

She waits until she hears the door click closed before she gets up and starts to gather her shower supplies, making her way towards the bathroom.

It's small, and the light flickers when she turns it on. She's immediately greeted by her own reflection in the mirror, and she cringes.

I look beat, she thinks.

She turns the shower on, and grabs her phone while she's waiting for the water to heat up.

Sharp green eyes stare back at her once again. She swallows thickly before unlocking the phone, quickly navigating to her messages to get that picture to disappear. Not that this is much better - she wills herself not to check through their messages again, looking for just where it was she went wrong. Instead, she clicks on the thread with her parents.

"Got here safe!" she texts. "Bolin picked me up from the bus stop. Crashing at his place. Love you."

She doesn't expect a response this early in the morning, but knows that her mother will be checking for an update first thing when she wakes up.

She peels off her clothes before hopping in the shower. She almost groans at the feeling of the hot water, but knows she has to keep it quiet. People are sleeping, after all.

It's the first time Korra's really been alone with her thoughts in hours. She doesn't let her them wander, knowing where they'll end up. Instead, she focuses her attention on the idea of this road trip her friends depart for tomorrow. Not that the thought of that brings her much happiness either.

As much as she wants to go, she's not sure Mako will want anything to do with her, and certainly not enough to want her to come on a whole month-long vacation. He was a lot more stubborn than his brother, after all, and he knew how to hold a grudge. And Asami...

Asami , she sighs as the girls name crosses her mind. She's just a room or two away now, sleeping, and its the closest Korra's been to her best friend in three years.

Korra's chest fills with dread at the thought of having to explain herself to the older girl who she had been so quick to abandon. She hates herself for letting her friend go through the death of her father alone. She'd always wished she was able to be there for her when her mother passed, and now this?

It was inexcusable, she knew. She was supposed to be her best friend. The two of them had been like peas in a pod all through high school. They'd stuck with each other through thick and thin. Asami was even the one who helped her get together with Mako.

Ugh, she thinks. What a disaster that was.

Things with Mako were quick and messy. Everything was always a fight, always drama. It was all so high school. Looking back, she doesn't think she even loved him at all. And if she did, it was nothing like...

She sighs, thinking about the face on her lock screen once again.

Nothing like her, she thinks.

Korra met Kuvira the first day of college. She'd arrived at the crack of dawn for preseason bootcamp - they took soccer very seriously at her school - and there she was. Team Captain and only a sophomore. She wasn't the most gorgeous girl that Korra had ever seen, not by a long shot. She grew up with Asami, after all. But there was something so attractive about the powerful way the girl stood, her voice commanding as she barked out instructions for drills.

Korra never thought she stood a chance.

Three years later, and she's proven herself right.

Everything had been fine with them for so long. At first, when Korra told Kuvira she didn't want to go public with their relationship status, she understood.

But as the months wore on, Kuvira didn't like the way Korra tried to hide their relationship even from their friends and teammates. It wasn't that she was ashamed, she'd try to explain. She was just a secretive person, she came from a small town and well, she wanted people to like her.

She didn't tell Kuvira she was scared of what her friends back home would think, of what her parents would think. Instead, she deleted her Facebook and any other social media her friends could find her on. She told her girlfriend she wanted a private life, and that worked well enough for a while.

Until Kuvira wanted Korra to come with her to the draft party, and Korra just couldn't. There would be cameras there, she explained. And when Kuvira's name got called, which it undoubtedly would, those cameras would be pointing at them, together.

She thought Kuvira would be understanding when she turned her down.

'Maybe you can take Bataar,' she'd suggested hopefully, but Kuvira balked at the idea of taking the team's waterboy. That night was the straw that broke the camels back.

Now, Korra is back home, single and heartbroken with no one to talk to. Her friends have no idea she'd even been dating someone, let alone a girl. In fact, they know nothing about her life.

Just the way you wanted it, she thinks bitterly.

If only she'd never left her home city, she can't help but think. People were accepting there; she wouldn't be as worried about this sort of thing. And it's true - Republic City is not exactly a progressive place. Despite its name, the town itself is surprisingly small and has the attitude to match. Not a city by any stretch of the word, in Korra's estimation.

She'd made the switch from big-time city to small-town country when she was in middle school. She was old enough to notice the change in attitude from loving and accepting to... well.

Republic City, she thinks bitterly.

She remembers when a teacher at the middle school was outed from an online dating profile a few years back. Parents turned up to school board meetings to protest his presence at the school; eventually, he was driven out of town. She heard he had to give up teaching, in the end. Asami's father had always been one of the loudest voices at those board meetings.

She shudders at the thought of her friend sharing the same mindset as her dad.

Wait, no - that's not what is causing her shivers, she realizes. The water in the apartment shower is cooling a rapidly, and Korra resists the urge to yelp as she jumps away from the stream.

"Stupid freaking..." she mutters as she reaches for her towel. Once she's safe out of the tub she reaches back in to stop the water, now ice cold.

Some things never change, she thinks to herself again. She dries herself quickly, careful to avoid the image of herself in the mirror.

Korra opens the door and sighs. Now that her eyes have adjusted to the flickering fluorescents in the bathroom, it's so much harder to see out in the dark hallway.

She walks slowly, arm outstretched on the wall searching for a switch, when suddenly -

"Oof!" She collides with someone, their heads clunking together in the dark.

"Ow!" she groans, rubbing her now-sore forehead.

"What the hell?" A light comes on overhead, and Korra lowers her hand to her eye to protect it from the sudden brightness.

"Korra?"

She blinks a few times, forcing her eyes to adjust. She's not really ready for what's standing before her.

Asami stands in the hall, her hair mussed from sleep. She's wearing track shorts, a thin tank-top and a soft, pink robe. Her eyes are wide in disbelief as she looks Korra up and down, seemingly unable to comprehend her friend showing up in her hallway at god knows what hour.

Korra becomes suddenly all too aware that the only thing she is wearing is a towel. She shifts uncomfortably, hiking the fabric higher across her chest. "Sorry, um-"

"What are you doing here?" Asami asks, and Korra grimaces at the sharpness in her friend's tone, the disbelief.

"Bolin picked me up at the bus stop a few hours ago. I'm uh... home for the summer?" she offers, hoping to crack the hard look behind her friend's eyes.

Something in Asami seems to soften as she takes in the sight of her old friend. "I'm glad to hear that," she says, and Korra only has a second to absorb her words before she's being pulled forward. Asami's arms are around her before she has time to process what's happening. Her breath catches as she's enveloped in her friend's embrace, her face suddenly buried in thick, black hair. The smell is comforting, and she nuzzles into it. She only gets to enjoy the warmth that fills her chest for a second before it's over.

"It's so good to see you again," Asami says, pulling back a little to look her in the eye.

"You too," she responds. She smiles nervously, unsure of herself and ground they're on.

Asami's gentle smile puts Korra at ease. She follows her as she makes her way towards the kitchen.

"Go get dressed, I'll make you some breakfast," she says, gesturing to the living room. Korra doesn't feel like arguing, and her stomach grumbles in spite of the fact that she'd just eaten hours before.

I guess I haven't been eating that much, lately.

She throws her clothes on in the dark living room quickly, ending up in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Korra silently slips back into the kitchen, watching as the girl moves from cabinet to cabinet with way too much grace for this early in the morning, first stopping to pull out a bowl, then a pan.

Korra has so many questions for Asami, she doesn't know where to begin. She decides to start with an easy one.

"What are you doing up this early?" she asks, glancing at the clock. It's not even six in the morning yet.

I knew Asami was a morning person, but this is a bit extreme, she thinks.

Korra doesn't see Asami's frown as she turns to face the fridge. "I've been... having some trouble sleeping. Adjusting to a new place, you know?" She pulls out a carton of eggs. "Scrambled okay?"

"Right, yeah, of course. Scrambled is perfect," Korra answers.

"I've been using the quiet time to work on some blueprints," Asami continues without missing a beat. "It's hard to think once Bolin is up," she chuckles.

Korra can't help but beam back at the girl and her familiar antics. "You haven't changed one bit," she says as she watches the other girl crack eggs into the bowl. A splash of milk and garlic powder join the yolks as Asami whisks them briskly.

"Well, I can't say the same," Asami laughs, glancing up from her work. "I'm loving the hair, though."

"Thanks," Korra says. Her cheeks flush, and she looks down embarrassed.

The sound of egg hitting the hot pan makes her look up. Asami's brow is furrowed in concentration as she looks around for a spatula.

"So... I uh, hear you're going on a trip," Korra says, carefully avoiding the fact that Bolin had invited her to tag along. She expects excitement from Asami, but instead gets a long sigh.

"Yeah..." Asami says. She doesn't look up from the pan as she pushes the eggs around with a spatula.

"You're not excited?" Korra asks, surprised. After all, it's very unlike Asami she knows to not want to live it up on a beach for a month.

She must be taking this really hard, Korra thinks.

"I don't know..." she says, biting her lip. "The boys think its a good idea. I don't want to crush their spirits, but I just don't see how it's going to help."

"Right," she agrees, even though she's not really sure she understands. She's never lost a parent before, never mind two.

Asami turns off the stove, scraping half the eggs out of the pan and onto a plate that she sets in front of Korra before turning back to her own.

"I just... can't wait for this summer to be over," Asami breaks the silence, unaware of the way Korra practically shrinks at the suggestion. They've been reunited for barely fifteen minutes Asami is already plotting her escape?

It had stung so much the first time Asami left her. Senior year, and the two had been planning to run off to the city together for years. Korra would play soccer at some Division I school and Asami would get her engineering degree in preparation for taking her over her father's empire. They'd been planning it since freshman year. They even had a Pinterest board dedicated to it.

That all changed the day Asami came home with an acceptance letter from Stanford.

Korra frowns, trying to shake it off the thought.

Play it cool, Korra.

"Why, so you can run off to California again?" Korra jokes half-heartedly. She regrets the words almost as soon as they've left her mouth.

Not cool, Korra.

She knows she has no place, after all she's put her friends through, but she still is bitter about the way Asami was so quick to leave her and abandon their plans without any sort of discussion. She'd left for orientation just days after telling Korra of her decision to move across country.

Asami laughs at the jab, but there's something darker behind it. Her eyes narrow. "Says the great disappearing woman." She bites her lip for a moment, considering her next words. After a beat, she sighs and turns to look Korra directly in the eye.

"You know I wrote to you, right?" Asami asks. She tries not to let her voice betray her, but still the bitterness seeps into her tone. It's hard not to be bitter, after all, when the girl you considered your best friend leaves for college and doesn't so much as write.

At first, Asami believed her letters weren't getting delivered. Maybe she didn't have the right address or Korra's school really sucked at delivering mail to its students. She went so far as to call her parents to make sure she'd had the right address. They told her they were sending packages without problems. Korra was probably just busy adjusting to school life, they said. Eventually she'd just had to accept that Korra didn't want to hear from her any more. She was embarrassing herself.

She stopped writing after the first semester.

"Yeah..." Korra's arm reaches over her head to scratch at the back of her neck sheepishly. "About that. I'm sorry I never wrote back, I just..."

She trails off, her eyes falling as she fails to come up with the words to explain why she let one of her closest friends slip away. There aren't any. If she's being perfectly honest with herself, she doesn't have an explanation.

She sighs and shrugs, and Asami gives her a tight-lipped smile. She had hoped for something better than a wistful sigh and a distant look, but she's more than used to Korra's inability to communicate. Still, she finds herself disappointed that this time, after all these years, nothing has changed.

"It's fine, Korra," she says, and it isn't (it so isn't, she thinks) but she doesn't feel like pressing the matter will make it any better.

Just then, the door to Mako's room opens. The older boy walks out, barely stopping to glance up at Korra as he makes his way into the kitchen.

"Hey," he says simply when he comes to a rest against the counter, seemingly unsurprised by Korra's presence.

Bolin must've told him about picking me up after we got in, she decides.

He grabs an apple out of the bowl on the counter and throws it in to the air before biting into it.

"Mako," she says with as much warmth in her voice as she can muster. He's eying her suspiciously from across the room. "It's good to see you."

"Welcome back," he offers in return, still unsmiling. She's not surprised. They hadn't left things on the best of terms, and she had a feeling distance had not made the heart grow fonder in Mako's case.

She gives him a tight smile in response, focusing instead on her eggs. She'd made things awkward with Asami, Mako clearly had no desire to see her.

She's thinking of a way to make her escape when Bolin stumbles out of the room.

"Oh, hey guys," he says, rubbing his red eyes. He'd only gotten two hours of sleep at most. "We're all up a little early, aren't we?"

The others just look at him as he smiles blearily. "Oh, hey, Korra! I mean, Korra's home, guys!"

An awkward silence fills the room as Mako shrugs disinterestedly and Asami nods.

"I uh, guess you all already caught up. Good, good," he says, finally sensing the tension in the room. "Got any coffee?"

He makes his way over to the machine and pours himself a mug leftover from last night and pops it in the microwave.

"Big day today, huh?" He asks as he settles in next to Mako, waggling his eyebrows at Korra.

Crap, she thinks. He's going to bring this up now?!

Mako just grunts in response, and Korra sinks further against her seat.

Bolin isn't unnerved, oblivious as always. "So... I was thinking, what if Korra comes with us on our trip?"

Her heart practically drops out of her chest at his words. Mako furrows his brow and brings his hand to his chin, and Asami blinks in surprise.

God, Bolin, she thinks. Couldn't you have brought this up when I was in the bathroom or something?

She wishes she had had a chance to talk to him, tell him about how obviously not thrilled Mako was with her presence and how she should probably sit this one out, as much as she didn't want to. Instead, she threads her fingers together nervously, suddenly very focused on the plate in front of her. She waits for Mako to break the silence, tell Bolin what a terrible idea this all is.

I should have never told him I wanted to go in the first place, she thinks. I knew this is how it was going to turn out.

She's surprised when it's Asami that finally speaks up. She's even more surprised with what she says.

"That's a great idea!"

When Korra finally has the nerve to at the other girl she's grinning, her eyes sparkling in a way Korra hasn't seen in years.

"It'll be so fun! It'll be nice to have a girlfriend along for the trip. It was going to be a real boys club otherwise," she lets herself laugh for a second before stopping, suddenly sheepish. "Uh- as long as you, like, wanted to come that is?"

"Of course I want to come!" Korra is quick to supply. "If no one minds?" She risks a glance at Mako, but his face is unreadable.

After a moment with no response, Bolin clasps his hands together excitedly. "So, it's settled? Korra's coming?"

Asami nods, grinning and Mako just shrugs.

Good enough for me, Korra thinks.

"Well... I'm game if you guys are," she finally says, and Bolin whoops. Even Mako can't help but crack a smile at his brother's antics.

"The gang is back together, everyone!" Bolin shouts, throwing his arms in the air. "Group hug!"

Korra barely has time to register his words before he's bounding towards her, reaching over and hooking an arm around her waist to pull her across the counter into a hug with the others. She ends up with her arm around Mako and Asami is in the tucked under it. Korra rests her chin on top of her head and closes her eyes, allowing herself to relax into the embrace of her friends.

 _The gang is back together,_ she thinks, and smiles.


	2. chapter two

A/N: I've decided I'm going to put these up one-a-day until we catch up to where I am on AO3 (which is currently chapter six). For the reviewer that asked, yes this is a Korrasami fic, though it will be a slow burn!

If you post a lot of LoK and want to follow me on tumblr, I'm ai-ge-smak-daun dot tumblr dot com and I will likely follow you back! :)

* * *

They finish up breakfast, Asami having to make a few more eggs for Bolin, who is hungry despite the fact that he had eaten his fill at the diner just hours before.

Mako doesn't sit and wait for them to be done eating. He stands in the corner, shuffling his feet awkwardly while Bolin makes small talk.

"We should probably get moving," Mako says, looking nervously at the bags stacked in the living room. "I'll get a head start."

The door shuts loudly behind him.

"He's still not a morning person, huh?" Korra asks once he's gone.

Bolin sighs. "Yeah, he wasn't exactly... thrilled, when I told you'd come home. But, you know him, he'll warm up!" Bolin flashes her a reassuring smile. It doesn't make her feel much better, but she figures she deserves whatever Mako has to throw at her.

"Why don't you guys go give him a hand, butter him up. I'll clean these dishes," Asami suggests.

Mako has already taken most of Asami's bags outside, so Korra follows Bolin into his room.

"So I haven't exactly finished packing yet," Bolin says, grinning sheepishly. "Mind taking my suitcase out while I pack a few toiletries?"

She ends up with his large green suitcase on wheels, which she drags clumsily through the narrow hall to the living room, where she grabs her single duffle before heading outside.

Mako has piled the bags by the curb, so Korra lugs Bolin's suitcase behind her as she makes her way down the driveway. He must hear her coming, because he turns to face her before she's gotten a chance to announce herself. He flashes her an uneasy smile that looks more like a grimace before ducking his head, passing her as he walks inside.

She sighs, dropping the bags next to Asami's purple luggage set.

Korra yawns in the bright sunlight, remembering that she didn't get to sleep last night. More coffee, she thinks, hoping that Asami hadn't cleaned up her mug yet. She turns to investigate and is surprised to find Asami walking towards her.

"You forgot your coffee," she says, holding out a travel mug once she's in front of her. "So I poured you a fresh cup in something a little more... portable."

"Thanks," Korra says. "I can use it," she says, and yawns again.

"I can see that," Asami chuckles. Asami eyes the single duffle Korra slung over her shoulder. "Do you need to go pack a bag? I can drive you home."

Korra suddenly freezes. The idea of being alone in a car with Asami causes her to tense. She's not sure she's ready to spend alone-time with the girl. What would she say?

Sorry your father died and I wasn't here for you? Yeah, that'll go over great, she thinks.

She shuffles her feet, suddenly uncomfortable. "Uh, nope. This is all I have."

It's not a lie. She had left behind most of her things at Kuvira's place, and she's hasn't been to her aunt's house in years. She doesn't know what she'll find there, and if she's being honest, she's not sure she's ready to go back.

Asami opens her mouth as if she's about to say something, then bites her lip and shrugs. The door bangs behind her as the boys bring out the last of the luggage.

"If you're sure," she says.

They stare at each other for a long moment before a loud squeal breaks their concentration. A large blue van is taking the curve just before the brothers' house a little too fast, and Korra worries for a moment that the driver is about to lose control before it straightens out, heading straight for... well, them.

"Watch out!" Korra shouts, arm shooting forward to push Asami out of the van's path. It turns out to be unnecessary as the driver slams on the breaks just in time. The car screeches to a stop a few feet in front of them.

The boy driving hops out, a wide grin on his face as Mako walks forward to meet him.

"What... is that?" Mako asks.

The boy shrugs, looking back at the van he doesn't look old enough to drive. "Oh this old thing? Just the car my parents bought me for my first ever road trip! You likey?"

Mako walks up to the van, hand on his chin as he inspects it. It's older, definitely vintage, but the paint is fresh, and it looks as if it's been well taken care of.

"Not exactly glamorous but..." he pops open the back doors, eyeing the luggage compartment and Asami's large stack of bags waiting to be packed in the trunk. "It'll work."

"Are you kidding? This thing is awesome!" Bolin shouts. "It looks like it's straight out of the sixties!"

Mako smiles at his brother for the second time that morning, his posture finally relaxing as Bolin pushes past him.

"Wu, you know my brother Bolin." Bolin waves, friendly as ever. "And these are my friends, Korra and Asami."

Wu turns his attention to the girls for the first time and nearly squeals.

"Well well well, Mako, you did not tell me we'd be bringing such lovely ladies with us on our trip," he says, accentuating his words with an obviously fake accent that Korra can't quite place. "Happy birthday to me."

He bows and quickly reaches for Korra's hand, grabbing it and raising it to his mouth before she has time to protest.

"Uh, nice to meet you too?" she says, uncertain. She pulls her hand back the moment his grip loosens, and shoots a glare at Mako behind Wu's back.

"You must be Wu," Asami says, always cordial.

Wu looks like he's winding up for another dramatic bow when Mako steps in. "Alright, now that we're all introduced we should probably get going. It's going to be a long drive."

"Okay everybody in, I'm driving!" Wu skips down the driveway, practically to the car when he realizes that no one is following. Korra and Bolin share and uneasy look.

Mako doesn't know how to tell Wu he isn't getting in a car with him behind the wheel. He's never been good at mincing his words, but this kid is like his boss, so he should at least try, right?

He takes a few steps forward, visibly uncomfortable. "Listen, uh - maybe it'd be best if... Well, your parents are paying me to drive, and..."

Wu's face falls slightly but he nods, and Korra wonders if he's more adept than she'd first pegged him as. The kid could take a hint. "Oh, yeah, of course. My bodyguard, my chauffeur." He turns and winks at Korra. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Korra laughs, because it's almost cute how dorky this kid is.

"Shotgun!" Wu shouts in her ear, and she reconsiders as he rushes to get in the front seat next to Mako. Asami's takes a seat on the drivers side, and Korra slides in next to her. Bolin climbs behind them into the rear bench, swinging his arms around the girls' shoulders once he's seated in the middle.

"This is going to be great!" he says, squeezing them together. "I brought my old iPod with all the songs we used to listen to in high school!"

"No music," Mako says firmly. "I need to be able to hear the GPS."

Bolin pouts for a moment before sighing, crossing his arms as he slumps in his seat.

"Alright, you grumpus," Wu says, poking Mako in the cheek. "Full speed ahead!"

Mako's "full speed" isn't very fast, it turns out.

He's never driven a car this size before, and Bolin seems antsy as Mako gets in the right lane as soon as they hit the highway. "I know!" he shouts after a few minutes of silence have gone by. "Let's play a game!"

"Ooh, great idea," Wu says. "I spy with my little eye... something... blue!"

"The sky!" Bolin guesses, happy to have someone to engage with, but Wu shakes his head.

"The van?" Korra asks, angling her head to see if Wu can see the side of the van through the side-mirror.

"Nopers," he says, a smug smile on his face. "Give up yet?"

"No!" Bolin throws his arm out. "Wait, uh, it has to be... no..." He frowns suddenly. "Hey- there isn't anything else blue in here!"

"Why, you're forgetting the most beautiful thing in this van, Bolin," Wu says, turning to face Korra in the seat behind him. "Korra's cerulean blues," he sighs.

A collective groan echoes throughout the van. "Gross, Wu," Mako says, but he's laughing. Bolin sits up a little straighter, locking eyes with his brother in the rear-view mirror before smiling.

"I spy with my little eye..." he says, but Korra's attention is drawn away when Asami rests her hand on her knee.

"I'm really glad you decided to come," Asami says quietly. Korra smiles.

"Me too," she says warmly. "Speaking of... where exactly is it we're going?"

Asami laughs. "You're kidding. You got in a van with us and you don't even know where we're going?"

Korra just shrugs, not wanting to explain how alone she would feel in Republic City without her three friends. Without Asami.

"Well, you signed up for a sixteen-hour drive," Asami says, and Korra's jaw drops.

"You're kidding," it's her turn to say, and Asami just shakes her head, laughing.

Her shock is broken by a tap on her shoulder.

"Move over if you're not gonna play so I can sit behind Wu," Bolin says, already standing to move to the front.

Korra looks to Asami, who shrugs, before unbuckling her seatbelt and scooting closer. The van is narrow and there isn't much sitting space, so when Bolin sits down with his wide knees Korra ends up pressed against Asami, who just smiles at her at the contact.

They don't talk much more for the next few hours. Asami pulls out her notebook, brow furrowed as she scribbles with a ball-point pen. Mako chimes in every few minutes to whatever game it is Bolin and Wu are playing now - something about license plates - and Korra just sits back comfortably, enjoying being in the presence of her friends again.

Korra asks once what Asami is doing, but she just shrugs and says something vague about work before immediately returning to whatever has kept her pen so busy for the past three hours. Korra can't help but watch the way that Asami worries her lip between her teeth as she concentrates, her eyes focused intently on something that's troubling her on the page.

A drawing maybe? A new invention? Korra thinks. After all, Asami's father had been one of the great innovators of Republic City. He put it on the map when he opened his first factory, and brought some much-needed relief to the small town's economy. He had been a very well liked and very influential man in town.

And now all that's on Asami, Korra thinks.

Asami pauses for a moment, her pen finding its way to her lip. She bites on it lightly, and Korra finds herself focusing way too closely on how plump Asami's lips look under the pressure of the pen's tip.

Don't be a perv, she chides herself. This is her childhood best friend, after all.

Just because you like girls doesn't mean you have to crush on every girl you come across.

Korra tears her eyes away from Asami and forces herself to look at the road ahead.

It's almost noon when Bolin nearly jumps out of his seat. "Oh, Mako, look! A Five Guys! Can we stop, pleasepleasepleaseplease please?"

Mako casts a look over his shoulder, eyebrows already raised in defeat. There's no arguing with Bolin when he's hungry, but he tries anyway. "Bolin, you just ate a few hours ago."

"I know, I know, but we don't have any of these back home and who knows when we're going to see one again!"

Bolin slips under his seat belt to pop over Mako's shoulder, pointing to a blue ATTRACTIONS sign on the side of the highway. "Look, they even have a Dairy Queen! Please, big brother, I need my burger and fries."

"I'm down for food," Korra chimes in.

Asami laughs, looking out of her notebook for the first time in hours to nudge Korra in the shoulder. "Always."

Korra bites back a grin, her heart pounding a little harder against her chest.

Cut it out, she reminds herself. You're just… excited she's not holding a grudge.

"I guess... I only had an apple for breakfast," Mako concedes. If he weren't in a car, Bolin would have jumped for joy. Instead, he high fives Korra over Asami's lap.

/

One hour, several burgers and way too much ice cream later, they find themselves dragging their feet as they make their way through the parking lot.

"My god, that was amazing," Bolin groans, collapsing into the car seat. His hands land with a plop on his stomach, which looks to have grown twice in size. "I think I'm just gonna take a little... nap..." he says, his eyes closing before he even finishes his sentence.

"No kidding. Move over will ya, I'm taking the window seat. It's time for my siesta," Wu says, punctuating the request with an exaggerated yawn.

Bolin responds with a snore of his own.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little tired too," Mako says, rubbing his stomach. "Asami, do you mind taking the second shift?"

Korra eyes the middle seat of the van, where Bolin's laying and has already begun to drool. She can sit in the back bench, she supposes, but that'll mean she'll be in the furthest seat from the only other awake person in the car.

You could use a nap yourself, she thinks, remembering how she didn't sleep the night before.

She changes her mind when Mako speaks up. "I think I'll spread out in the back seat if you don't mind?" he asks, addressing Korra directly for the first time that afternoon.

"Of course," she says with a bright smile that goes unreturned as Mako begins to climb over his brother into the back seat.

Still, she feels relieved that Mako is at least talking to her again before realizing that sharing the front seat with Asami while everyone else is asleep in the back is exactly the sort of private moment she's been nervous about sharing with the girl all day.

Something about Asami's willingness to forgive her was scary. Korra wasn't entirely ready to forgive Asami for her transgressions, and the fact that Asami seemingly so easily forgave her for doing something arguably way worse made her uneasy.

Korra's worries are for nothing, because as soon as she leans her head against the window, she's out like a light.

/

She wakes with a start what feels like only moments later. She rubs her eyes sleepily, only stopping when she hears Asami laughing beside her.

"Have a good nap?" she asks, and Korra nods groggily. She glances at the clock and is surprised to see it's mid-afternoon, almost four hours after their food-stop.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to conk out like that. Are you okay, driving for this long? Should we wake Mako back up soon?"

Asami shakes her head, waving off Korra's concerns. "No no, it's fine. I like to drive. It's... therapeutic."

Korra pauses, considering arguing further before remembering Bolin's comment that morning (had it really only just been that morning?) about Asami's apparent inability to grieve and holds her tongue, figuring that she shouldn't take one of Asami's few comforts away from her.

"I could use a little music though to mix things up. You mind?"

Korra glances behind her to make sure Mako is fast asleep before grabbing the AUX cord dangling from the radio and plugging it into her phone. She picks something soft and adjusts it so it's only playing out of the front speakers.

Korra lets the song play through the first verse before turning to Asami. "How are you holding up?" she asks.

She doesn't want to pry, as she's sure that she's the last person Asami wants digging into her personal life right now. Then again, with how weirdly nice Asami has been ever since Korra reappeared in her life, she isn't really all that sure. Either way, Korra feels a strong need to know what's going on with her friend. She's felt nothing but concern ever since Bolin had broken the news to her the night before.

Okay, so maybe there was a little guilt mixed in with the concern too, but Korra was pretty dead set on ignoring that as long as possible.

"I told you, I like driving," Asami says, her tone somewhat sharper than it should be. Korra frowns, surprised by the sudden change of attitude.

"No, I meant-"

"I know what you meant, Korra," Asami says, tight lipped.

"Okay," Korra says, blinking in shock at the change in her friend. She'd seemed nothing but happy to see Korra this morning.

She probably realized what an awful person I am while I was sleeping, Korra thinks, frowning. Or maybe I snore.

A few more minutes pass in silence before Korra can't take it anymore. She never has been a patient girl, and she's growing more concerned by the minute as Asami's eyes seem to gloss over. She watches as Asami swallows tightly, letting a slow breath out of pursed lips.

"I'm sorry I haven't been there for you," Korra says. "I'm sure... it hasn't been easy."

Asami laughs, as if that's the understatement of the year, and Korra pretends not to see the tears that are definitely brimming in her eyes.

If there's one thing she remembers about Asami, it's that the girl never liked to seem weak. Once in high school her ass of a boyfriend decided to break up with her by showing up to the school dance with his new date. Asami had waited until they arrived back at Korra's to even shed a tear. They stayed up all night watching a Cinderella Story on the Disney Channel.

So she doesn't push Asami when she sniffs, her hand brushing against her cheek as it rises to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

They drive a few more minutes in silence before Asami sighs.

"I have nothing left," she says, defeat evident in her voice. She pauses, glancing nervously at Korra. "I think I'm gonna have to sell the company."

The words come out in a breathless rush, and Korra takes a moment to process them before her she's immediately shaking her head. "Asami, no," she says, but her friend just laughs darkly.

"My mind is already made up," she says with a shrug. "I have school and a life in California, and no one can replace my father."

Oh , Korra thinks, letting the comment about Asami's life, the one she'd started without Korra, slide.

Of course this is about her father. She remembers once again Bolin's observations, and hopes this is just a manifestation of that. There is a lot of pressure resting on Asami's shoulders, coupled with the grief of losing her father. It was a lot to deal with, and Korra didn't want her friend to make a bad decision just because she was in a tight spot.

"I can't let you do that," Korra insists, her hand reaching for Asami's shoulder. "You need to take some time and think this over."

The hand is smacked away with a scoff, and Korra recoils. She shrinks further when Asami speaks, her voice low and angry.

"You don't get to just waltz back into my life and tell me what to do," Asami says, her eyes not meeting Korra's. Probably for the best, Korra considers, since she's she's driving and all.

Still, the tone of her voice makes Korra stop short, her confidence suddenly gone. She lets out a shaky breath.

"Right, no, of course," Korra says as she tries to mask the confusion from her voice.

Up until now, Asami had welcomed her back with open arms. Her stomach turns when she realizes that was all probably an act, another thing that Asami wasn't willing to deal with, would rather ignore until it reaches its breaking point.

She watches the way her friend's fingers tighten against the wheel and swallows thickly, thinking that they might've reached that point already.

"I'm sorry," she tries. "I didn't mean to... intrude."

Asami responds with a sigh.

"Just... go back to sleep, Korra," she says.

Korra presses her head against cool glass, looking anywhere but at Asami. She closes her eyes and wills herself to fall asleep, but even in her sleep-deprived state she finds herself unable to drift off.

Twenty minutes later and she's grateful to hear Mako stirring in the back.

"How you doing?" he asks quietly, and Korra's not surprised when Asami answers him without vitriol.

"We're making good time," she informs him, and Korra opens her eyes just in time to see Asami return Mako's smile through the mirror. Her stomach drops a little at the sight, and she tries to ignore the jealousy she feels at Asami's friendliness towards the boy.

She happy when the others begin to wake in the back and Mako finally looks away from Asami.

"Good morning sleepyheads," Asami teases. Korra chooses now to make it known that she's awake, turning to face Asami, but the girl doesn't offer her a friendly greeting.

Her eyes stay glued to the road as rain begins to splat against the windows.

"Good morning, fellow roadsters. How are we... uh-what's that?" Wu asks, his face paling as he leans forward to look out the windshield. A huge, dark cloud looms overhead, and he gulps.

"It's just a thunderstorm," Mako brushes him off. "I checked the radar, we won't be under it for too long, maybe like an hour. Besides, Asami can drive through anything."

"An hour?!" Wu's eyes go wide before he settles back into his seat, looking stricken.

They drive a few minutes just listening to the rain as the pattering turns to loud pelts, and Korra starts to wonder if this storm is a little tougher than Mako was letting on.

Wu practically leaps into Bolin's lap when a loud crack of thunder snaps overhead. He laughs, though it sounds anything but genuine.

"What do you guys say we pull over for the night, get some rest?" he suggests, looking around the van hopefully.

"Rest?" Mako asks, incredulous. "You've been napping all day!"

"Yeah, but..." Wu pulls at his collar, not meeting Mako's eye. "I'm afraid of thunder. We can get a hotel, I'll pay."

Mako sighs. No one else in the car offers any disagreement, and he hangs his head. "Fine. But I'm getting room service for dinner."

Asami remains silent, just turns on her blinker at the next exit and starts searching for a sign for a hotel.

"There's a Hampton Inn Express on our right," Korra offers. Asami nods slightly, and takes the next turn.

/

They have to run to the entrance of the hotel it's raining so hard. It doesn't stop them from getting soaked, and Asami is shivering by the time they make it inside.

There isn't a line, Korra notes thankfully, though she wasn't really expecting one early in the evening like this.

Wu lays his shiny metallic card on the front desk as he bats his eyelashes at the blonde sitting behind it. "Five of your finest rooms, please."

"Sorry," the girl at the counter answers, barely glancing up from her computer. "We only have two rooms left. There's a convention in town," she explains when Wu splutters at her in disbelief.

"They each have two queen sized beds?" she offers. "That should be enough for the five of you."

"Well... alright. I guess those will have to do," he says. "But I get my own bed," he says under his breath, glancing back at Mako and Bolin to make sure the brother's aren't going to put up a fight.

They look at each other before shrugging - they've been sharing a room for years, they can sleep in the same bed for a night. Korra glances at Asami, nervous at the girl's unreadable expression and how she doesn't even attempt to meet Korra's eyes at the news they'll be sharing a room together.

Maybe I can sleep in the bathtub, Korra considers as Asami reaches forward for their room card.

Asami only brought one of her bags with her, Korra notices as they walk down the hall. It's a small overnight that makes her realize that they'd been planning on spending at least one night in a hotel regardless of the weather they encountered.

Korra trails behind Asami as she counts the number on the doors, stopping before one that reads 129.

Korra frowns as she watches Asami's hands shake from the cold as she swipes the key card once, twice, before bending over, squinting and flipping the card around before sliding it through again, finally resulting a green light and a beep.

She's happy to see that the attendant wasn't lying about this being a two-bed room. Asami sets her bag down on the one nearest to the door, rifling through it and pulling out a few items before opening what Korra's assumes is the door to the bathroom and disappears inside. Her suspicions are confirmed as she hears the shower start from the other room.

Korra flops back on her bed heavily, allowing herself to sink in to the mattress for a few minutes as she listens to the shower run.

She sighs after some time has passed, pushing herself up on her elbows and reaching over to rifle through her bag until she comes up with her phone charger. She plugs the brick into the outlet and is glad when her phone blinks to life.

She sends a few quick texts to her mother, who was happy to hear that she didn't have to drive at all on the ride up and that they had settled in before it got dark. She doesn't check, but she knows there are no new messages waiting for her from Kuvira.

The shower shuts off in the other room, and Korra jumps up, scrambling to get changed before Asami re-enters. She's tying the drawstrings on her pajama pants when the door cracks, steam pouring out as Asami emerges in her robe from this morning.

Asami doesn't look at Korra as she enters, and Korra does the same, turning her eyes back to her phone.

"I'm going to bed," is all Asami says before she draws the curtains, blocking out whatever light is breaking through the dark clouds over head. The rain hasn't let up, though the thunder sounds a little more distant now.

Asami tucks herself into bed and Korra follows suit, staring at her phone for a few minutes before shutting it, the bright light getting to her eyes.

The room is so quiet that Korra has no choice but to listen to Asami's breathing. Or at least that's what she tells herself as the minutes pass and she's unable to focus on anything else.

She knows Asami has every right to be acting this way, but she had wished she hadn't hid her anger from Korra from the start. Maybe she wouldn't have come on this stupid trip if she knew everyone on it was going to be giving her the cold shoulder the whole time.

Korra thinks the other girl has fallen asleep when all of the sudden the breaths stop. She waits a beat, maybe two. One second longer and she would've said something, but a voice in the dark surprises her.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you," Asami says, so quiet that Korra thinks she's imagined it.

She responds anyway.

"You had every right-"

"I know," Asami says sternly, and Korra's mouth clamps shut. "Trust me, I know, but... as mad as I am at you for leaving, I don't really want to be. I shouldn't have talked to you like that."

"I'm not sure I understand," Korra replies honestly.

It's a few more seconds before Asami responds. "I just feel like I need every friend I can get right now, you know? And being back with you, it feels..."

Korra can't see her, but the way Asami's voice cracks as she trails off makes her think the girl is crying. She doesn't know what to say, or what to do, her hands fidgeting restlessly at her sides.

Should I go comfort her? she thinks, but remembers the way Asami had pushed her away before and reconsiders.

Asami let's out a shuddery breath, and Korra has almost decided that it's worth the risk when Asami speaks again. "I just can't handle dealing with losing my father and you at the same time."

"Okay," Korra says, shrugging even though she knows Asami can't see her.

"Okay?" Asami breathes out, turning to face Korra. Her eyes have barely adjusted to the dark yet, but she can see Asami's green eyes meeting hers anyway.

"Look, I haven't been there for you for the past three years. Let me be there now," she says.

It's the least I can do, she keeps to herself.

"Okay, but," Asami pauses, uncertain. "We're gonna have to talk about it eventually."

"After the trip," Korra decides. "We'll take this time to get to know each other again, and at the end, we'll just see where you want to go from there?"

"Okay," Asami says after a moment. Korra's eyebrows shoot up, and she can't help the smile that tugs at her mouth.

"Okay? So, we're cool?"

She must sound a little too eager, because Asami laughs. It sounds so nice that Korra doesn't even mind that she's embarrassed herself.

"For now, yes, we're cool."

She's sure when Asami falls asleep this time, a light snore squeaking out once or twice before her slumber deepens.

 _For now, we're cool,_ Korra repeats in her head. _You have until the end of summer._ She closes her eyes against the nervousness rising in her chest and snuggling beneath her blankets before closing her eyes and letting sleep take over.


	3. chapter three

Asami is already out of bed when Korra opens her eyes. With a stretch and a yawn, she realizes that not only is she out of bed — Asami has already left the room.

Korra lays in bed for a moment, her eyes adjusting as she takes in the room.

 _If you told me a week ago this is where I'd be today, I wouldn't believe you,_ she thinks.

The room is dark, though Korra isn't sure if it's because of the time or because of the really good black-out curtains they seem to always have in these hotels.

She checks her phone and frowns.

 _Seven already?_ she thinks. _Mako wants to be on the road in a half hour_

She pushes herself out of bed and tries to shake off the sleep as she makes her way into the shower. The warm water doesn't do much to wake her up, and she's still groggy a few minutes later when she steps out. She pauses to take herself in in the mirror. Her frame is skinnier than she's used to, her collar bones protruding sharply from her chest, and she frowns as she touches them.

 _Guess I haven't been eating too much lately,_ she thinks. It makes sense. Kuvira was always more of a cook than she was, and she didn't bother to buy a meal plan for this last semester. She spent most night's at her girlfriend's off-campus apartment, and that included homemade dinners.

She grabs a hand towel to dry her hair as she leaves the bathroom, steam spilling from the room when she opens the door.

Korra nearly lets out a yelp at the sight of Asami, who is standing against the wall, brow furrowed as she types on her phone. Asami's head whips up at the sound, and she breaks into an easy smile.

"Didn't mean to startle you," she says. Korra smiles back in response, and there's a beat between them as Asami seems to take Korra in.

"Mako and I got some breakfast," she says, holding up a small brown bag. "Want a doughnut?"

Korra relaxes at Asami's apparent good mood, but her ease doesn't last long when she realizes she's wearing nothing but a towel. She tenses, grabbing at the cloth to make sure it's secure around her chest.

 _Why do you care?_ she wonders. _It's not like Asami hasn't seen your boobs before_.

Still, she holds onto her towel as she leans forward to grab the brown bag from her friend. If Asami notices her discomfort, she doesn't seem to care. Something in the way her eyes stay on Korra the whole time as she leans forward makes her shiver, and she quickly plunges her hand into the bag to cover it up.

"Mm, Boston creme," Korra says, pulling the doughnut out.

Asami winks. "Your favorite."

Korra lets out a small cough as a blush rises to her cheeks. She's not sure if she's flustered by the fact that Asami still remembers her favorite doughnut, or by something else, but she decides to let it slide.

Asami breezes past her, and by the time Korra turns around the door to the bathroom is clicking shut.

She takes a big bite out of the pastry before putting it on the desk and turning to her duffle.

 _Might as well get dressed while Asami is occupied,_ she thinks.

She throws on some jean shorts and a tee-shirt, not taking much time to dig through her clothes for the outfit. She didn't bring much anyway, and fashion was never really her strong suit.

She's tugging the tee over her head when the bathroom door swings open. Her back is to Asami, and she quickly pulls down her hem before turning around.

"Ready to go?" she asks, taking in Asami's freshly applied makeup.

She nods. "The boys are outside. You're the last one up, sleepyhead."

Korra scoffs. "It's only seven! Besides, some of us need our beauty sleep."

"Why, Korra," Asami admonishes. "Are you calling me ugly?"

Korra goes pale. "Uh— I, no, I just meant —"

Asami cuts her off laughing. "I'm kidding, Korra. But they really are waiting for us, are you ready?"

"Right, yeah of course," Korra laughs along nervously, trying to play off how flustered she'd just gotten. She begins to follow Asami out the door but stops short, running back to the desk to grab her forgotten doughnut.

Wu leans against the car, scrolling through something on his phone. Bolin is sitting on the edge of the trunk, sipping from a large coffee as Mako packs bags around him.

"Morning Korra," Bolin calls, and she can practically hear the tiredness in his voice.

"Sleep well?" she teases, and he just grimaces in response.

"We've got to hit the road if we want to make the 12 o'clock ferry," Mako says, and Korra's eyes light up.

"There's a ferry?" She hasn't been on a boat in years, and can't contain her grin at the thought of being on the open water again.

"A ferry?" Wu asks at the same time, his face paling. "Can't we just… I don't know, go around the water?"

Mako shakes his head. "I'm not driving through the city because you're scared of a little water, Wu. We'll pick you up some dramamine?" he offers, and receives a strained smile from Wu in response.

They all pile into the car, and Korra tries to hide her disappointment when Asami calls out "shotgun!" She ends up behind Mako, with Bolin squished into her side.

They've barely made it out of the hotel parking lot when Asami is reaching for the radio. Mako stops her with a look, but Asami just beams at him.

"C'mon Mako, what's a road trip without a little music?" Asami asks, and Korra swears she sees her actually bat her eyelashes at Mako for a moment before he rolls his eyes, reaching forward to press the POWER button on the radio.

"I'm a child of backseat freedom, baptized by rock and roll," a male voice croons.

Bolin and Wu waste no time returning to their car games — this one has something to do with road signs, and Korra is quick to tune them out. Mako and Asami are talking, but she can't hear what they're saying over the music. Instead, she takes to her Instagram feed, scrolling through the photos she's missed over the past few days.

 _Lots of reunions,_ she notes, looking at pictures of her friends as they arrive home from college. _A lot happier than ours_.

She pauses when she reaches a photo of one of Kuvira's friends with her arm slung around none other than Kuvira herself. She doesn't remember the girl's name. She went to the same school as them, but Korra hadn't ever had a chance to meet her. Korra did always find it a little weird that she never met one of her girlfriend's oldest friends.

 _Then again, she never met mine either,_ Korra thinks, looking around at the group in the car.

Mako reaches forward to change the radio station, groaning when he can't find anything suitable.

"Why is every station out here country?" he asks, cycling through the numbers a second time. "I thought we left all that behind in Republic City."

"Hey, that sounds like a line from a country song!" Bolin says enthusiastically, putting on a drawl as he repeats Mako's words. "Left it all behind in Republic City…"

Wu picks up the next line, singing something nonsensical that somehow manages to sound good.

By sixth verse, they're all begging them to stop, but it takes until the ninth for Mako to find a station playing not playing country music. They travel for the next five minutes with Spanish music playing at full volume.

/

The car has quieted down in the last hour. Mako finally found a station that played classical music, of all things, that he insisted it was his right as the driver to play. Wu entertained himself with a GameBoy of some sort — Korra didn't know, she was never really good with video games. Asami, meanwhile, had returned to her notebook, and although Korra couldn't quite see what she was writing, she could tell there was a ton of it. Bolin has found headphones, and is bopping his head along to whatever music he's playing.

Probably that playlist he mentioned, Korra thinks.

"In one mile, take exit…" the GPS says clearly over Bach or Beethoven or whoever's music is playing over the radio, and a cheer goes up throughout the car.

"Just in time," Mako says, eyeing the clock.

11:25, Korra notes. Five minutes to spare. Thank god we didn't have to make any pit stops!

Bolin darts out of the car as soon as they're parked in line for the ferry, making a bee-line for the bathroom.

He returns a few minutes later with a hotdog in his hand.

 _Always count on Bo to find food,_ Korra thinks.

Her stomach lets out a loud poorly timed growl as she lays eyes on the bun in his hands, and she and Bolin share a look before bursting out laughing.

"C'mon, I'll show you where the food is at," he says, turning back the way he came. Korra glances behind her before leaving, but Mako is talking to a ferry attendant and Asami is conversing with Wu, and judging by the dopey smile on the kid's face she does not want to interrupt.

"Two hotdogs, please," she orders at the counter. "And extra relish."

"Condiments are over there, sweetie," the woman says, pointing to a messy counter with a few bottles of Heinz on it. "It'll be a few minutes."

Korra and Bolin sit at a picnic table while they wait for her order. They haven't gone far, just around a corner, and if she leans back she can see the tail-end of their van.

 _The ferry isn't leaving until 12 anyway,_ she thinks, but can't help but continue to check that the van is still there or for a glimpse of her friends. She feels bad that she left Asami in what was probably a very awkward situation, and is about to ask Bolin to wait for her while she checks on her friend when he speaks up.

"So," he says. "You and Mako talk yet?"

"No," Korra sighs. She bites her lip, wondering if she should say what was on her mind. She's never had to hide anything from Bolin, though, and she's not going to start now. "He won't give me the time of day. Asami on the other hand," she says, about to tell him about their conversation the night before, but he interrupts.

"I know right? They can't keep their hands off each other. You know they went out to get breakfast this morning? I caught them when they got back," he says, throwing a look over his shoulder to make sure they're still alone. "They were hugging."

Korra's jaw drops. " _Wh_ —well, that doesn't really mean anything," she's quick to reason. "I mean, she's going through a rough time, you know?"

"Right," he says, sure to draw out the word for a second too long before giving Korra a sympathetic look, his lip pouting out. "Sorry. Forgot you guys had history," he throws the word in quotes with his fingers. He had never been thrilled about the relationship between his brother and his friend, and for good reason. It had driven a major wedge in Bolin's relationship with both Mako and Korra.

"Oh no, it's not about that," Korra insists. She's not sure whether or not she's lying.

 _You don't have feelings for Mako anymore,_ she tells herself, and she doesn't. She got over them long ago. She recognizes them for what they were: a high school romance, barely scratching the surface of real love.

 _Of what I had with —_

"Sweetie, your dog is ready," the woman's raspy voice breaks into her thoughts, and Korra has never been happier to see a hot dog in her life.

/

The ferry is pretty empty, considering that it's the middle of a weekday. They could have their pick of booths along the windows, but Bolin runs straight for the stairs, heading up to the open top deck.

They split up, with Wu trailing behind, shivering in the cold. Mako and Asami head for the front of the boat, as Bolin climbs on everything in sight.

Korra takes her time exploring, walking from one edge of the boat to the other. It had been so long since she had been on a boat, and she savors every moment the water moves beneath her. She's not sure how long she stays like that, lost in the sway of the water as she leans against the rail.

"Hey, Korra," a soft voice says behind her, and she's surprised to see Wu standing with his hands in his pockets behind her.

"I thought you were going to head inside. You look pretty cold," she says, hoping to sound playful, but Wu's smile doesn't seem to reach his eyes, his teeth chattering.

"Got lonely," he says. "Thought I'd come check out the scene up here."

"Well, this is the best part," Korra says, looking out as the boat begins to gain some distance from the land. "Watching it all disappear behind you."

Wu doesn't seem so sure, reaching forward to grab the railing when a bit of a larger wave hits.

"As long as you're having fun, m'lady," he says, his slick smile replacing the look of worry there moments before. She doesn't respond, eyes trained on the horizon, and the look drops back off his face. "You guys um, are having fun, right?"

Korra's face softens. She's giving the kid a hard time because he's so rich, and it's hard not to resent a person who has everything handed to them so far, but he seems a little insecure, and she supposes confidence is one thing money really can't buy.

"Yeah," she says, letting a genuine smile take over her face. "Thank you for inviting me. Oh, and happy birthday!"

"Thanks," he says, giggling in a way that makes Korra question how old the kid really is. "But you're early. It's not actually until next week."

 _His parents sent him away on his birthday?_ She frowns, but decides not to comment.

"I'll bake a cake," she says instead. Wu's grin makes her think he doesn't realize she was kidding, and she has a feeling she'll have to buy a box of Betty Crocker at some point this vacation. "Come on, let's go find the others."

They cross from one end of the boat to the other, and Wu's teeth chatter louder as they walk against the wind. They round the stairwell just in time to see Mako slinging his jacket over Asami's shoulders, and Korra's heart sinks a little in her chest.

 _So what if they're dating or… whatever?_ she thinks. _I guess it might get in the way of Asami and I rebuilding our friendship, but, if it makes her happy…_

She sighs, unhappy that the sinking feeling is apparently there to stay.

Bolin notices Wu and Korra walking toward them, raising his hand in a wave. Asami's eyes light up as they land on the pair, and Korra can't help but return her bright smile. But then her eyes find something behind Korra's head, and they grow even wider.

She leaves Mako's side and heads towards Korra, just as the other girl turns to look behind her, finding one of those telescope viewfinders attached to the side of the boat.

"Do you have a quarter?" Asami asks, excitement clear in her voice. Mako's pockets are empty as he turns them out. Korra digs into her own, grateful when her fingers clasp the familiar cold metal of a coin. She holds it up with a grin, and Asami grabs her hand to lead her over to the machine.

She pops in the quarter and ducks down, her face near Korra's level and for the first time she realizes how much Asami has grown since she saw her last.

"Wow, look!" Asami says, pointing towards the land the boat is fast approaching, her eyes still glued to the telescope. Suddenly her arm is around Korra as she pulls the other girl forward, taking a small step back as Korra replaces her at the telescope. She keeps her hand on the viewfinder, and Korra tries to ignore the way her her heart picks up speed at the way she's trapped beneath the taller girl, her height once again glaringly obvious.

"Pretty neat," Korra says, barely taking in what's in front of her.

"You can say that again," Asami laughs in her ear, and Korra jumps away.

"Let me see," Bolin calls just in time, and Korra takes a few steps away from Asami, too aware of how hot her face feels even in the breeze. Asami glances worriedly at her for a second, but is quickly distracted when Bolin jerks the viewfinder, losing track of whatever Asami had found so fascinating.

"Whoops," Bolin says sheepishly.

"Hey Bo, where did Mako and Wu go?" Korra asks, realizing that the other two had disappeared while they had been looking at the approaching coast.

"They went to go get hot chocolate. Wu looked pretty cold," Bolin says, and Korra's happy to hear that his tone is more concern than mockery.

She fakes a shiver. "I'm beginning to think they had the right idea," she says, despite the heat still in her cheeks. "I'll meet you guys downstairs?"

Asami doesn't look away from the telescope as she throws Korra a thumbs up, and Bolin waves at her as she turns down the stairwell.

Mako and Wu have found a booth, and Wu's hands are wrapped around a steamy cup of hot cocoa.

"Korra!" Wu greets her enthusiastically. Mako looks up, and she doesn't know whether or not to be grateful that he's at least acknowledging her.

"Just looking for the bathroom, Wu," she says, only stopping at the table to steal a quick sip of Wu's cocoa. He doesn't know whether to be offended that she stole his drink or flustered, and she leaves him before he has a chance to decide.

She's washing her hands when the voice comes over the loudspeaker asking everyone to return to their cars. When she leaves the bathroom, Mako and Wu are already gone, and it takes her a few tries to find the right stairwell leading down to the van on the bottom floor of the boat.

They've already all taken their same seats, Mako apparently refreshed from the time on the boat, and it's not long before they've all taken up their previous activities, Bolin and Wu playing some hand game while Mako fidgets with the radio. Korra's eyes trail on Asami, who has pulled out her notebook again but is no longer writing in it, just frowning down at the pages.

They're barely back on the road for twenty minutes when Bolin jumps out of his seat.

"Mako, look! A Chipotle!"

Mako groans, not putting up an argument as he turns on his blinker.

/

"In a quarter mile, the destination will be on your right," the GPS instructs. Everyone in the car seems pleased but Mako, who frowns.

"I can't believe you don't know the house number, Wu," he says, slowing as they approach the private road.

"I dunno, they just said it was the one at the end," he says. "They said we can't miss it!" he adds when Mako doesn't seem satisfied.

The road is narrow and winding, and Mako grits his teeth as he slowly maneuvers.

"Can't even see what's ahead of us," he mutters under his breath, and Asami laughs. Korra sinks further into her seat as the incline increases.

Bolin looks almost green by the time the reach the end of the hilly road. There's only one house at the end of it, a two-story on stilts tucked into the bluff.

The smell of salt and the sea hits her nose as soon as she opens the van door and she smiles. It's a familiar scent, one she hasn't really been able to enjoy since she was a child. She closes her eyes, breathing it in, and wondering if it's just her imagination that she can hear the waves crashing from here.

Bolin knocks into her as he climbs out of the seat behind her. An apology is on the tip of his tongue when he stops short, taking in the sight before them.

"Whoa. This is yours?" Bolin asks, eyes wide.

Wu pops out of the van, taking in the house before them. "Yeah, my parents bought it after they had a little hurricane or something up here. Destroyed a bunch of property, you know. They fixed this one up for me!" he says, gesturing widely at the house before his arms drop. "Uh- I honestly thought it'd be a bit bigger."

"This is bigger than our house, Wu," Mako deadpans, and Wu laughs nervously.

"Oh, you!" he says, punching Mako in the arm. If he notices the way Mako's fists clench, he doesn't show it, practically skipping as he starts down the path towards the house.

"Don't worry about it, we'll get all the bags," Mako mutters under his breath. Bolin is already at the trunk, piling as many bags as he can into his arms. Korra remembers that he used to do that with groceries when they were kids, never wanting to have to return to the car for a second trip.

Korra grabs her duffle and one of Asami's bags before following Wu down the path, looking up at the house as she goes. The sun is low in the sky, shining through the bungalow's many windows.

She pulls out her phone and snaps a quick picture before continuing. Mako rolls his eyes as he passes her, but Bolin stops to hold the door open as they make their way into the house.

Asami is standing in the kitchen, running her hands along the counter space. The house isn't huge, but it's a pretty open floor plan, with a kitchen, dining room and living room sharing one large space. Korra enters just in time to see Wu disappear down the only hallway, running around the house like a kid who has had too much sugar.

He returns to the kitchen not ten seconds later, dejected.

"Only two bedrooms," he whines, and Mako raises an eyebrow at him. Wu shrinks under the older boy's scrutiny. "Well, they said there'd be three!"

"Hey, what's up here?" Bolin asks, tugging at a string that pulls down a ladder. Wu scrambles up, peeking his head into the dark space. Bolin hands him a phone with the flashlight turned on.

Wu's voice sounds muffled, but his groan of relief is clear. "Oh, thank god, I could not handle sharing a room with you two snorers for another night."

"Let me see!" Bolin shouts, pulling on the bottom of Wu's shirt until the boy descends. "Oh hell yeah, I've always wanted to have a cool attic bedroom!"

"That settles it then," Wu says. "You boys up stairs. I'll take the master. Ladies, may I show you to your room?"

The hall only has three doors, one of which is already open, revealing a bathroom. Wu leads them into the room on the right. It's small but quaint, with twin sized beds pushed against two of the walls.

It smells like mothballs, and Asami moves quickly to open the window.

"I guess some old people must've owned this before," Wu says uncertainly, looking around the room. There are pastels of shells and starfish along the wall, with matching quilts on the beds. "My parents said they were gonna redecorate..."

"It's charming," Asami says with a smile, putting her bag down on the bed. Wu returns her smile twofold, and Korra resists the urge to roll her eyes.

A sudden cry comes from the other room, and Asami wastes no time in going to check it out. Korra is quick to follow, with Wu trailing behind.

In the kitchen, they find all the cabinets thrown open. Bolin stands in front of the fridge, looking comically distraught as he stares at the empty shelves.

"There's no food," he says as he turns to the group. Mako sits at the island, looking unamused as he watches his brother.

"No food?" Wu asks, frowning. "Well, no problem!"

Bolin's eyes light up as Wu walks forward, clapping his hand against Mako's shoulder. He pulls away when the older boy shoots him a glare, but he doesn't seem totally discouraged. "Mako, whadd'ya say you, Bolin and I head down to the grocery store, pick up some grub?"

Korra's eyes fly quickly to Asami. It might be nice to get to talk to her one-on-one, and being alone in the house for a little bit while the boys are out might be just the right time.

 _We have a lot of catching up to do,_ she thinks, but her thoughts are interrupted by Mako's scoff.

"Oh no, I am not driving back down that road again today," Mako says, arms crossed.

Korra frowns. Alone time with Asami and Mako is somehow less appealing, and she tries to tell herself it has nothing to do with the looks the two have been exchanging all day.

A brother always knows, she hears Bolin's words echo in her mind. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she too had the feeling there was something more between the pair.

"I'll drive!" Asami offers, and Wu claps his hands in delight.

Korra breathes a sigh of relief that the Asami is willingly putting some space between her and Mako, but her stomach drops a second later when she realizes that that will leave just Mako and Korra alone in the house.

Before she has time to protest, Bolin is out the door, always excited at the prospect of food, and Wu and Asami trail behind him.

Mako is left standing at the kitchen counter, staring after them. Korra can tell this was definitely not what he had in mind when he'd turned down driving.

"I'm gonna go unpack," Korra says, not meeting his eyes as she walks past him into the hall.

She looks at her duffle on the bed and frowns. Not much to unpack, she thinks, but gets to it anyway, putting her clothes in her half of the wooden dresser that sits between the beds. It only takes a minute, and soon she finds herself sitting on her bed, staring at the paintings of starfish on the walls.

 _Now what?_ she asks herself. _You're just gonna sit in here and avoid Mako until everyone else gets home?_

Korra hears the door open and a moment later and almost gets her hopes up that the three had returned in record-breaking time. But it's the back door, not the front, that opens, and Mako catches her eye through the window as he makes his way out on the back deck, looking over the beach.

She watches him for a moment, then sighs.

 _You're going to be with him for a whole month. Do you really want to spend it like this?_

Korra doesn't give herself time to change her mind as she pushes off her bed and walks into the hallway. It's quiet, but she doesn't stop to appreciate the serenity.

 _It's now or never, Korra._

She opens the door to the back deck, stepping out onto the hot wood. Mako's arms rest on the rail, his face unreadable as he stares out at the waves.

 _Oh, Mako,_ she thinks. _Always brooding._

She doesn't want to surprise him, so she decides to announce her presence.

"Hey, Mako." It's softer than she'd like, but she thinks it does the job. He doesn't turn, but he does finally blink, a flash of a frown tugging at his lips before he returns to neutral. Korra steps forward.

"I was hoping we could talk?"

He doesn't respond, but stands up straight, eyes still locked on the beach in front of him.

 _That's probably the best you're going to get out of him,_ she thinks.

She takes a deep breath, knowing she'll need it if she's going to get through everything she has to say. "I'm sorry I left. And that I didn't call, or write, or... anything. I was just going through a hard time and I just wanted to try to get some control over what was happening to me. So… I left. And I know I hurt you, but I'm willing to work to make it up to you."

Her words come out in one rehearsed rush, and she sighs when Mako doesn't seem to even hear her.

That speech sounded a lot longer in my head, she thinks, fidgeting as she tries to find something to fill the awkward silence that has settled over them. She doesn't need to wait long. Mako turns to face her, and Korra finds herself wishing for the silence again at the dark look in his eyes.

"When you left, you didn't just hurt me. You hurt Bolin, too," he says, his voice soft but firm. "I don't like seeing my little brother hurt, Korra."

"I know," she responds, her eyes downcast. When she left, Bolin had been just a kid. Sixteen and the friendliest, most genuine person she had every met. The thought of hurting him makes her sick, and she's struck with the realization that she doesn't really know how much damage she caused when she left. Now isn't the time to ask, however, so she keeps her eyes low and lets Mako continue to speak.

"But Bo has forgiven you. And I...I understand why you did what you did. It hurt, but... I get it."

This takes her by surprise. "You do?"

He shrugs. "Asami left. Your aunt died. We broke up." She blinks, startled by the stark way he just lays it all out in front of her. People had been dancing around her aunt's death since she got that awful call.

"I know what it feels like to lose everything and want to run away," he says, making eye contact with her for the first time. She's not sure whether or not to be relieved that it isn't anger that she sees there, but sadness.

Right, she thinks. His parents. Mako had never really told her about them, but she knows he felt the loss in a way that had changed him forever. Bolin may have been too young to remember, but Mako was a kid.

He continues. "I've always had something holding me back. But like I said, I get it. I don't like what you did, but I can't hold it against you."

"Thank you, Mako," she says, her voice serious. She waits a beat to make sure he has nothing else to add. "Friends?"

He laughs at this. "Of course. Always. I wouldn't have invited you on this stupid trip if we weren't."

Korra relaxes, returning Mako's smile for a second before it quickly drops, the expression replaced with mock offense. "Wait a second, Bolin invited me!"

"We both know that if I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here," Mako says with a serious look. He only holds it for a moment before breaking. "I'm glad you're back, Korra."

She isn't expecting it when he reaches forward and wraps his arms around her back, pulling her close. She squeezes back, further surprised by how easy it feels to be in his arms again. But unlike the last time she saw him, there isn't any fire behind it, nothing tugging at her heartstrings.

She sighs and leans her head against his shoulder, taking in the comfort of his embrace.

Korra and Mako had a blaze of a romance. They knew each other since they were kids and had dated other people throughout their school years. If Korra is being honest, she'll tell you she always had a little bit of a crush on the older boy growing up. She's not sure what changed senior year, but suddenly that spark was ready to blow.

And explode it did, she remembers, in one fiery mess.

They kissed for the first time at a school dance. Mako was wearing a suit, she remembers, because she'd grabbed his lapels to pull him in. It was like fireworks. He broke up with his girlfriend the next day, and so began a whirlwind of a romance that ended a year later in Korra skipping town.

When Bolin first mentioned going to visit Mako and Asami, Korra worried there would be some unresolved feelings between the two. Of course, there wasn't much time for that with Mako ignoring her, but now that they were on good terms again... The spark would always be there, so to speak, but they just hadn't worked. Maybe it was because they were young and immature, or maybe they were just really better off as friends.

 _Only time will tell,_ she thinks, dropping her arms to her sides as Mako pulls away.

"Mako could you help me m- oh, I'm sorry," Asami's eyes are wide as she looks at the pair, Mako's hands still on Korra's shoulders. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Not at all," Mako says, easily sliding away from Korra to grab the bags in Asami's hand. "This all of them?"

Asami laughs. "Oh no. Bolin did the shopping, Wu took care of the bill. A lethal combination. I think we have enough snacks to last us the whole month."

"Great, so they'll be gone by tomorrow?" Mako jokes. "I'll go give them a hand before Bolin decides he can carry them all himself. Not like Wu is going to help, right?"

He walks back through the door, leaving Asami and Korra on the deck alone.

Korra watches Asami as she takes Mako's spot against the rail, leaning forward to look at the beach below. She takes a step forward to follow, but pauses.

Don't be nervous, Korra, she chides herself. It's just your best friend.

"It's beautiful," she says, regretting the words as soon as their out of her mouth.

 _Way to pick the most cliche possible thing to say,_ she thinks.

Asami doesn't seem to mind, humming as she nods in response.

"I haven't been to the beach since I was a kid," Asami says a few seconds later. Korra has to strain to hear, her voice is so soft. "My parents took me on a trip to a place not unlike this."

"Well I grew up practically living on the water," Korra says. Asami nods again— she knows this about Korra, of course, but it's still nice to share with each other. "I can't wait to hit the waves tomorrow."

It's another few minutes of comfortable silence before the boys return. The sun will be setting soon, and Mako looks around the deck, eyes lighting up when he spots a fire-pit in the corner.

"I'll get a fire started. You guys bought hot dogs, right?"

/

Soon they're all sitting around the fire, each roasting their own dinner over the flames.

Bolin holds two skewers, rotating them slowly, biting his lip in concentration. Korra's pretty sure she's never seen Asami eat a hotdog, and she gets a sneaking suspicion that the girl has never even had one when she seems surprised at her first bite.

"You know, these are actually pretty good," she says, mouth full. Bolin nods in agreement, finally losing patience and pulling his away from the flames.

Mako stands. "I know what'll make them even better," he says, before disappearing inside.

"Here," he says when he returns, holding a blue bottle out to Korra. She grins, pulling her kets out of her pocket to get a bottle opener before taking a long swig of the cold beer.

Asami wrinkles her nose. "Ugh. I'm not sure how you guys drink that stuff."

"That's what I'm saying!" Bolin nods. "Tomorrow our first stop is the liquor store, I'm making us some bay breezes."

"What's a bay breeze?" Wu asks, brow furrowed.

"Something I know for a fact you're too young to be drinking," Mako says, wagging a stern finger at him before breaking out into a laugh. Wu seems at a loss for what to do that Mako is joking with him, and chuckles awkwardly.

Bolin pulls Korra into a hug, and she relaxes into his shoulder. Asami tugs on her legs, lying them out over her lap, and Korra smiles at her for a moment before Asami seems to get distracted staring into the flames, her hands coming to rest against Korra's shins.

Korra allows her head to fall back against Bolin, and listens to the sound of the firing crackling as she stares up into the sky, the stars much brighter here than they'd ever been at her school. Bolin starts pointing out the constellations to her, and she thinks that maybe this trip wasn't such a bad idea, after all.


End file.
